Yearly Archives: 2020

No Time to Die Was Reportedly Seeking Streaming Deal to Skip Theaters

MGM has reportedly been exploring the option of bringing No Time to Die, the upcoming James Bond film, to a streaming service for a price of "roughly $600 million." As reported by Variety, Apple, Netflix and other streaming services were looking at acquiring the rights to No Time To Die but, according to mulitple insiders at rival studios and companies, the $600 million price tag was "deemed to rich for two of the free-spending streaming services." No Time To Die is said to cost more than $250 million to produce and has already lined up several promotional partnerships to "defray these costs - including Land Rover, Omega watches, and Heineken." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/03/no-time-to-die-official-trailer-2"] These promotional deals would be a huge factor in any deal, as some may not love the idea of the movie not arriving in theaters. Variety gave the example of Coming 2 America's sale to Amazon, which was "contingent on making sure that its promotional partners, McDonald’s and Crown Royal, were on board with the change in plans." It's unclear how far along these talks were and if producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael C. Wilson would sign off on a potential deal. Additionally, Universal Pictures would need to be reimbursed for any expenses the studio incurred during production as it owns the foreign distribution rights to No Time To Die. MGM has allegedly lost between $30-$50 million due to delays, which could be a reason for these discussion, but it isn't willing to comment on these rumors. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=james-bond-no-time-to-die-character-posters&captions=true"] “We do not comment on rumors. The film is not for sale. The film’s release has been postponed until April 2021 in order to preserve the theatrical experience for moviegoers,” an MGM spokesperson told Variety. No Time To Die was originally set to be released in April 2020 but has seen multiple delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. James Bond's newest adventure is currently set to hit theaters on April 2, 2021. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Borat 2 Deleted Scene Features Trump, White House Infiltration

A deleted scene from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm featuring President Donald Trump and his, son Donald Trump Jr., has been released online. The scene, which can be viewed below, shows Borat's daughter, aspiring journalist Tutar (played by Maria Bakalova), infiltrating the White House press corps on September 20th accompanying the right-wing media site OAN, a favorite outlet of the President's. President Trump can be seen at a press conference but Tutar never meets him directly. That's not the case, though, with his son who can be seen having a brief cordial encounter with her at a campaign event. Borat's official Twitter account also claims that COVID-19 tests were not required in order for them to enter the White House. In a scene that most certainly was not deleted from the film, Tutar interviews the President's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani who, following their chat, is seen in a compromising position in an adjacent bedroom. A war of words between Sasha Baron Cohen and Rudy Giuliani has followed in the wake of the scene going public. Our Borat Subsequent Moviefilm review said the movie "contains an avalanche of awkward, anxiety-cranking moments that'll have you laughing while watching through your fingers like you would a horror movie. And the film's fantastic find, Maria Bakalova, every bit Sacha Baron Cohen's on-screen equal, is who, and what, most people will be talking about in the wake of this." [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/21/borat-subsequent-moviefilm-review]

Borat 2 Deleted Scene Features Trump, White House Infiltration

A deleted scene from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm featuring President Donald Trump and his, son Donald Trump Jr., has been released online. The scene, which can be viewed below, shows Borat's daughter, aspiring journalist Tutar (played by Maria Bakalova), infiltrating the White House press corps on September 20th accompanying the right-wing media site OAN, a favorite outlet of the President's. President Trump can be seen at a press conference but Tutar never meets him directly. That's not the case, though, with his son who can be seen having a brief cordial encounter with her at a campaign event. Borat's official Twitter account also claims that COVID-19 tests were not required in order for them to enter the White House. In a scene that most certainly was not deleted from the film, Tutar interviews the President's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani who, following their chat, is seen in a compromising position in an adjacent bedroom. A war of words between Sasha Baron Cohen and Rudy Giuliani has followed in the wake of the scene going public. Our Borat Subsequent Moviefilm review said the movie "contains an avalanche of awkward, anxiety-cranking moments that'll have you laughing while watching through your fingers like you would a horror movie. And the film's fantastic find, Maria Bakalova, every bit Sacha Baron Cohen's on-screen equal, is who, and what, most people will be talking about in the wake of this." [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/21/borat-subsequent-moviefilm-review]

Check Out This Incredible WoW Premium Statue from Blizzard

UPDATE: The products second gallery were incorrectly listed as being available today. The Thrall statue in the first gallery is available now, while the products in the second gallery will be available beginning November 2 as part of Blizzard's Gear Fest. The article has been updated with this correction. Blizzard announced a whole slew of new World of Warcraft Shadowlands products coming to the Blizzard Gear Store, including a highly detailed Premium Thrall statue and more. The Thrall statue is available now, with more products coming as part of Blizzard Gear Fest, a "retail celebration" delivering "all new and exclusive products to Blizzard fans across their favorite franchises." Check out these massive galleries for a look at the WoW Shadowlands products available right now at the Blizzard Gear store:

WoW Shadowlands Premium Thrall Statue

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=blizzard-gear-fest-thrall-statue&captions=true"]

Upcoming WoW Merch

The following products will be available during Gear Fest, beginning November 2. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=blizzard-gear-fest-announcements&captions=true"] The Thrall statue stands 23.5-inches tall and includes "interchangeable hands (with or without weapon)," according to Blizzard. The Thrall Premium Statue costs $599.99, while the Thrall Limited Edition Grey Statue costs $749.99. Blizzard VP of Global Consumer Products Matt Beecher said Blizzard recognizes "our players are always looking for new ways to show their franchise fandom. This release of new World of Warcraft Shadowlands products is only the beginning as we gear up for Blizzard Gear Fest’s big kickoff on November 2," promising nearly 50 new collectibles across Blizzard franchises like "Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm."

Check Out This Incredible WoW Premium Statue from Blizzard

UPDATE: The products second gallery were incorrectly listed as being available today. The Thrall statue in the first gallery is available now, while the products in the second gallery will be available beginning November 2 as part of Blizzard's Gear Fest. The article has been updated with this correction. Blizzard announced a whole slew of new World of Warcraft Shadowlands products coming to the Blizzard Gear Store, including a highly detailed Premium Thrall statue and more. The Thrall statue is available now, with more products coming as part of Blizzard Gear Fest, a "retail celebration" delivering "all new and exclusive products to Blizzard fans across their favorite franchises." Check out these massive galleries for a look at the WoW Shadowlands products available right now at the Blizzard Gear store:

WoW Shadowlands Premium Thrall Statue

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=blizzard-gear-fest-thrall-statue&captions=true"]

Upcoming WoW Merch

The following products will be available during Gear Fest, beginning November 2. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=blizzard-gear-fest-announcements&captions=true"] The Thrall statue stands 23.5-inches tall and includes "interchangeable hands (with or without weapon)," according to Blizzard. The Thrall Premium Statue costs $599.99, while the Thrall Limited Edition Grey Statue costs $749.99. Blizzard VP of Global Consumer Products Matt Beecher said Blizzard recognizes "our players are always looking for new ways to show their franchise fandom. This release of new World of Warcraft Shadowlands products is only the beginning as we gear up for Blizzard Gear Fest’s big kickoff on November 2," promising nearly 50 new collectibles across Blizzard franchises like "Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm."

Halo Movie: Guillermo del Toro Apparently Wanted Master Chief to Have an Evil Twin

In one of its many possible live-action incarnations, Halo was at one point set to become a movie directed by Guillermo del Toro. According to one of the original game's developers, the director was at one point pitching for an adaptation in which Master Chief had an evil twin that sided with enemy faction, The Flood. Speaking on the latest episode of IGN's Devs React to Speedruns series, centred on Halo: Combat Evolved, environment artist (and creator of Halo's title) Paul Russel brought up a mooted del Toro script for a Halo movie, and brought up a surprising plot detail: "Master Chief had a twin brother, and the twin brother sided with The Flood, and then the end of the movie was going to be brother against brother." You can hear the discussion, starting at around 58:54 in the video below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/24/original-halo-developers-react-to-legendary-speedrun"] The rest of the Devs React panel - made up of other Combat Evolved developers - expressed disbelief at the plot point, but Russel insists that it was at least an idea pitched to the team by the director. "That's what Joey [presumably Joseph Staten, Halo 1's writer and cinematic director] was saying. Del Toro was pitching this to Joe at his house. He was punching Joe on the arm and going, 'And they're brothers! And they're going to fight at the end!'" Sadly, we don't learn any more about del Toro's ideas before the panel turnms to other topics, although Russel does say he's sure he could get that story corroborated. Del Toro has previously told IGN that he adapted the game into a script with writer D.B. Weiss (Game of Thrones) in 2006, but eventually opted to make Hellboy 2: The Golden Army instead. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/17/halo-tv-series-finds-its-master-chief"] Halo's attached a number of major writers and directors across the years. Aside form del Toro and Weiss, the project has also crossed the desks of Peter Jackson, Neill Blomkamp, Alex Garland. In its latest form, live-action Halo is a Showtime TV series executive produced by Steven Spielberg, and starring Pablo Schreiber (Orange Is the New Black, First Man) as Master Chief. Last we heard, the series is moving forward at Showtime, but has no release date. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Halo Movie: Guillermo del Toro Apparently Wanted Master Chief to Have an Evil Twin

In one of its many possible live-action incarnations, Halo was at one point set to become a movie directed by Guillermo del Toro. According to one of the original game's developers, the director was at one point pitching for an adaptation in which Master Chief had an evil twin that sided with enemy faction, The Flood. Speaking on the latest episode of IGN's Devs React to Speedruns series, centred on Halo: Combat Evolved, environment artist (and creator of Halo's title) Paul Russel brought up a mooted del Toro script for a Halo movie, and brought up a surprising plot detail: "Master Chief had a twin brother, and the twin brother sided with The Flood, and then the end of the movie was going to be brother against brother." You can hear the discussion, starting at around 58:54 in the video below: [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/24/original-halo-developers-react-to-legendary-speedrun"] The rest of the Devs React panel - made up of other Combat Evolved developers - expressed disbelief at the plot point, but Russel insists that it was at least an idea pitched to the team by the director. "That's what Joey [presumably Joseph Staten, Halo 1's writer and cinematic director] was saying. Del Toro was pitching this to Joe at his house. He was punching Joe on the arm and going, 'And they're brothers! And they're going to fight at the end!'" Sadly, we don't learn any more about del Toro's ideas before the panel turnms to other topics, although Russel does say he's sure he could get that story corroborated. Del Toro has previously told IGN that he adapted the game into a script with writer D.B. Weiss (Game of Thrones) in 2006, but eventually opted to make Hellboy 2: The Golden Army instead. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/17/halo-tv-series-finds-its-master-chief"] Halo's attached a number of major writers and directors across the years. Aside form del Toro and Weiss, the project has also crossed the desks of Peter Jackson, Neill Blomkamp, Alex Garland. In its latest form, live-action Halo is a Showtime TV series executive produced by Steven Spielberg, and starring Pablo Schreiber (Orange Is the New Black, First Man) as Master Chief. Last we heard, the series is moving forward at Showtime, but has no release date. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Among Us Spam Attack Bombards Players With Pro-Trump Message

Among Us is under attack from a series of spam attacks which may have already affected millions of games given the immense popularity of developer Inner Sloth’s social murder-mystery game. The spam attack, nicknamed “Eris Loris” bombards an Among Us game’s chat log with a message to subscribe to Eris Loris’ YouTube channel and to vote for Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. Presidential elections. InnerSloth, the developers of Among Us, acknowledged the spam attack on its official Twitter account and says it’s “super duper aware of the current hacking issue[.]” InnerSloth pushed out an emergency server update to try and combat the problem, but it might not be enough. Eurogamer spoke with the alleged creator of the spam attack who explained their motives, which if true, are pretty straightforward. Eris Loris’ YouTube channel already promotes homemade hacks for a variety of different games, and the spam attack is a publicity stunt. The rapid spread of the spam attack in Among Us is in part due to help from volunteers who are contributing servers. As for the pro-Trump message, the alleged creator simply says “I’m a college student and I support Trump[.]” Players are still reporting spam messages in Among Us a day after the developers said they're rolling out a fix, and InnerSloth says players might get kicked from games as “emergency maintenance” continues. Among Us was originally released in 2018 but has become incredibly popular as people stayed home for shelter-in-place orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s become so popular that InnerSloth announced that it will scrap a sequel in favor of improving the base game, which is available on PC and mobile devices. Among Us also got a huge boost in visibility thanks to a recent stream from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) who played the game with popular Twitch streamers to raise awareness of voting in the upcoming election. The popularity of Ocasio-Cortez’s stream has great implications for the future of streaming and politics. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Among Us Spam Attack Bombards Players With Pro-Trump Message

Among Us is under attack from a series of spam attacks which may have already affected millions of games given the immense popularity of developer Inner Sloth’s social murder-mystery game. The spam attack, nicknamed “Eris Loris” bombards an Among Us game’s chat log with a message to subscribe to Eris Loris’ YouTube channel and to vote for Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. Presidential elections. InnerSloth, the developers of Among Us, acknowledged the spam attack on its official Twitter account and says it’s “super duper aware of the current hacking issue[.]” InnerSloth pushed out an emergency server update to try and combat the problem, but it might not be enough. Eurogamer spoke with the alleged creator of the spam attack who explained their motives, which if true, are pretty straightforward. Eris Loris’ YouTube channel already promotes homemade hacks for a variety of different games, and the spam attack is a publicity stunt. The rapid spread of the spam attack in Among Us is in part due to help from volunteers who are contributing servers. As for the pro-Trump message, the alleged creator simply says “I’m a college student and I support Trump[.]” Players are still reporting spam messages in Among Us a day after the developers said they're rolling out a fix, and InnerSloth says players might get kicked from games as “emergency maintenance” continues. Among Us was originally released in 2018 but has become incredibly popular as people stayed home for shelter-in-place orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s become so popular that InnerSloth announced that it will scrap a sequel in favor of improving the base game, which is available on PC and mobile devices. Among Us also got a huge boost in visibility thanks to a recent stream from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) who played the game with popular Twitch streamers to raise awareness of voting in the upcoming election. The popularity of Ocasio-Cortez’s stream has great implications for the future of streaming and politics. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

The Crown Season 4, V for Vendetta, and Everything Else New to Netflix in November

Netflix is dropping some classic films and fan-favorite returning series to its lineup for November 2020. To kick things off, Netflix is releasing the highly-anticipated fourth season of The Crown on November 15. According to Netflix, Season 4 follows Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman), "as her family find themselves preoccupied with safeguarding the line of succession by securing an appropriate bride for Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor), who is still unmarried at 30. As the nation begins to feel the impact of divisive policies introduced by Britain's first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson), tensions arise between her and the Queen which only grow worse as Thatcher leads the country into the Falklands War, generating conflict within the Commonwealth." On the movie front, Netflix is dropping 2005's V for Vendetta starring Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman, as well as some brand new holiday specials, such as Alien Xmas on November 20, and Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square on November 22. Check out the slideshow gallery below for the highlights of Netflix's November offerings, followed by the full list (U.S. Netflix only): [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflix-spotlight-november-2020&captions=true"]

November 1

  • M'entends-tu? / Can You Hear Me?: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
  • 60 Days In: Season 5
  • A Clockwork Orange
  • Boyz n the Hood
  • Casper
  • Christmas Break-In
  • Dawson's Creek: Seasons 1-6
  • Easy A
  • Elf Pets: A Fox Cub’s Christmas Tale
  • Elf Pets: Santa’s Reindeer Rescue
  • Elliot the Littlest Reindeer
  • Forged in Fire: Season 6
  • Jumping the Broom
  • Knock Knock
  • Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath: Seasons 1-3
  • Little Monsters (1989)
  • Mile 22
  • Ocean's Eleven
  • Paul Blart: Mall Cop
  • Piercing
  • Platoon
  • School Daze
  • Snowden
  • The Garfield Show: Season 3
  • The Impossible
  • The Indian in the Cupboard
  • The Next Karate Kid
  • Wheels of Fortune
  • Yes Man

November 2

  • Prospect

November 3

  • Felix Lobrecht: Hype -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
  • Mother -- NETFLIX FILM

November 4

  • A Christmas Catch
  • Christmas With A Prince
  • Love and Anarchy -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

November 5

  • A New York Christmas Wedding
  • Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta? -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
  • Midnight At The Magnolia
  • Operation Christmas Drop -- NETFLIX FILM
  • Paranormal -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

November 6

  • Citation -- NETFLIX FILM
  • Country Ever After -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
  • La trinchera infinita / The Endless Trench -- NETFLIX FILM
  • The Late Bloomer

November 9

  • Undercover: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

November 10

  • Dash & Lily -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
  • Trash Truck -- NETFLIX FAMILY

November 11

  • Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun -- NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
  • The Liberator -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
  • Nasce uma Rainha / A Queen Is Born -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
  • What We Wanted -- NETFLIX FILM

November 12

  • Fruitvale Station
  • Graceful Friends
  • Ludo -- NETFLIX FILM
  • Prom Night

November 13

  • American Horror Story: 1984
  • Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey -- NETFLIX FILM
  • The Life Ahead -- NETFLIX FILM
  • The Minions of Midas -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

November 15

  • A Very Country Christmas
  • America's Next Top Model: Seasons 19 & 20
  • Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
  • The Crown: Season 4 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
  • Hometown Holiday
  • Survivor: Seasons 20 & 28
  • V for Vendetta

November 16

  • Loving
  • Whose Streets?

November 17

  • The Boss Baby: Back in Business: Season 4 -- NETFLIX FAMILY
  • We Are the Champions -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

November 18

  • El Sabor de las margaritas / Bitter Daisies: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
  • Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

November 19

  • The Princess Switch: Switched Again -- NETFLIX FILM

November 20

  • Alien Xmas -- NETFLIX FILM
  • Flavorful Origins: Gansu Cuisine -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
  • If Anything Happens I Love You -- NETFLIX FILM
  • Voices of Fire -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

November 22

  • Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square -- NETFLIX FILM
  • Machete Kills

November 23

  • Hard Kill
  • Shawn Mendes: In Wonder -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

November 24

  • Dragons: Rescue Riders: Huttsgalor Holiday -- NETFLIX FAMILY
  • El Cuaderno de Tomy / Notes for My Son -- NETFLIX FILM
  • Hillbilly Elegy -- NETFLIX FILM
  • Wonderoos -- NETFLIX FAMILY

November 25

  • The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two -- NETFLIX FILM
  • Great Pretender: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ANIME

November 26

  • Larry the Cable Guy: Remain Seated
  • Mosul -- NETFLIX FILM

November 27

  • A Go! Go! Cory Carson Christmas -- NETFLIX FAMILY
  • The Call -- NETFLIX FILM
  • Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker -- NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
  • Don't Listen -- NETFLIX FILM
  • Sugar Rush Christmas: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
  • Überweihnachten / Over Christmas -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
  • Virgin River: Season 2 -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
  • La Belva / The Beast -- NETFLIX FILM

November 28

  • The Uncanny Counter -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL

November 29

  • Wonderoos: Holiday Holiday! -- NETFLIX FAMILY

November 30

  • The 2nd
  • A Love So Beautiful -- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
  • Finding Agnes -- NETFLIX FILM
  • RUST CREEK
  • Spookley and the Christmas Kittens
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/22/netflixs-the-liberator-exclusive-official-trailer-2020"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He's also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.